Delimitation of potential areas for groundwater recharge in the Toluca Valley aquifer

Abstract

Water is one of the most important natural resources for all living beings, it is essential for food security and the health of ecosystems. It occupies 75% of the planet's surface, however, only 3% is available to man for consumption. Mexico has 653 aquifers. 39.1% of the total volume of these is concessioned for agricultural irrigation uses. According to studies carried out by the National Water Commission, as of 2018, of the 653 units, 105 aquifers are reported in a state of overexploitation. The objective of this research was to implement the guide for the identification of areas with potential for water recharge, developed by the Tropical Agronomic Center for Research and Teaching of Costa Rica, which proposes the delimitation of potential recharge areas through geospatial information considering the topics of edaphology, geology, land use and vegetation, as well as relief and slopes. The results obtained show that in the Toluca Valley aquifer there are five categories of possibility of water recharge, although the moderate possibility prevails (59.4%), followed by a low possibility of recharge occurrence (21.0%), very low possibility (16.7%), high possibility (1.6%) and very high possibility (1.2%).